


And Now

by tobirion



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, just guy pals being guy pals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-13 00:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4500807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobirion/pseuds/tobirion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s nowhere in that ever-turning world that Arthur would rather be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Now

Arthur shifts, the TV remote lying dangerously close to the edge of the couch falls to the carpet with a dull thunk, and Merlin mumbles and sniffles into his shirt. Some small time band Arthur’s never heard of is playing some lousy love song, but the volume’s too low for Arthur to hear it anyway. He runs his hand down Merlin’s back, worn t-shirt cotton wrinkling behind the heel of his hand. Merlin snuggles in a little closer, letting out a soft sigh, warm against Arthur's neck. 

 

The television plays a montage—images of people partying all over Europe, people wearing sparkly hats and glasses emblazoned with the year; people dancing; people jumping; people throwing their arms in the air. Lots of the footage says pre-recorded at the bottom, because it’s already tomorrow on the other side of the world. The fireworks have already faded, and the world’s already turned.

 

The clock that’s been in the corner of the screen for the last half-hour hits 11:58 and starts counting down the seconds that remain.

 

Watching the screen, watching the last few fragments of the past year slip away, it almost feels like they’re in a different dimension, somehow. They don’t belong to the world on the television, a world full of glitter and gusto and celebration, a world that’s got its eyes on today and tomorrow and yesterday all at once. They’ve got this place, and now.

Arthur likes this place, though—likes the knit blanket draped over Merlin’s legs, likes the weight of him lying on his chest. He likes the cheap Christmas lights they’ve been too lazy to take down, he likes the stacks of Merlin's novels precariously perched around the room, the way they mix in seamlessly with the comfortable clutter. There’s nowhere in that ever-turning world that Arthur would rather be.

 

They show footage of the huge disco ball dropping in Paris as if it’s in real time, even though it’s already happened—even though it happened a full hour ago. It feels like a prophecy, predetermined and inevitable, but Arthur doesn’t mind.

 

The hushed sound of the television rises as the clock switches over, and everyone cheers. Then the clock keeps going, 12:00:01, 12:00:02, 12:00:03, and all the couples in the crowd embrace each other, and everybody’s smiling.

 

Arthur certainly is, as he kisses the top of a barely-conscious messy haired head and whispers, “Happy New Year, Merlin.”

 

“I love you too, Prat,” Merlin automatically mutters back.

 

Arthur smiles a little more.

**Author's Note:**

> [aggressively finished writing a fic for the first time in a millennium] 
> 
> tumblr is [here](http://tobirion.tumblr.com/) *w*


End file.
